The Worst Witch 2017 - A Mother Figure
by the stargate time traveller
Summary: Esmerelda is both a sister to her sisters when they need her, and a mother when they need someone's shoulder to cry on...even if they don't appreciate it.
1. Chapter 1

Happy New Year.

I hope your Christmas has been wonderful and that this new year is brilliant and even better than this one.

Dedicated to my friend Hallow Sisters on My Mind.

Enjoy.

* * *

A Mother Figure.

Esmerelda sighed with relief that her job with getting the parents seen to and introduced to the Parents Evening was over. Every single year since she had become Head Girl, Esmerelda had been forced into the little 'honour,' but truthfully it was boring.

But Esmerelda was concerned about something. Her mother had been at the school, but instead of speaking to her, basking in the teachers accounts of how _brilliant _Esmerelda was, Ursula had just come and the elder Hallow girl at Cackles was bemused; she and Sybil knew Ursula was a cold woman who believed all of her children's achievements were a reflection of herself, whereas the truth was very different, and even if her mother was busy and needed to go to work quickly she would find a few seconds to get a fix for her ego.

But not tonight.

Esmerelda wasn't as close to her parents as they seemed to think she was, and sadly that included Ethel. But the middle Hallow had forgotten something very important; her mother had never taught her the ins and outs of potions, not the way that a traditional witch would do.

When a witch was young, their mothers would teach them the ins and the outs of basic potion brewing skills, and some advanced spell techniques. It was due to her lack of knowledge due to her coming from the non-magical world although it didn't stop her from working on her skills that Mildred Hubble was often in trouble with Miss Hardbroom because Mildred had never been taught the basics as a child although it wasn't really her fault since, like all Magical Schools, Cackles simply was ill-equipped to help Mildred develop those skills. And HB didn't have the time to really teach Mildred anything. And the Witches' Code prevented teachers from getting involved anyway, but Esmerelda also felt that Mildred could actually stop messing about and actually focus a little more by doing her lessons carefully.

Sadly the Witches' Code couldn't force a witch into taking responsibility for the education of her daughter, or daughters in this case.

Esmerelda had never been able to understand why her mother couldn't have taken time off from her work in the Magic Council to teach her daughters the basics they needed in order to excel at school. None of the other witches who worked in the Council would have done the same, in fact, Esmerelda hoped they would have been both horrified Ursula would just nonchalantly shrug off such an important magical tradition without a care in the world.

The most laughable thing was Ursula seemed to think her daughters would teach themselves. It didn't work that way.

Esmerelda was just lucky that her grandparents had taken her in to teach them, although they made sure her parents understood their displeasure at the slight against magical tradition, her parents seemed to think it was nothing to worry about.

Ethel and Sybil were given tutors, which did exist in case the parents were suddenly sick or if something happened which made it hard for them to do the teaching themselves.

Esmerelda couldn't work out why Ethel felt Ursula cared. For some reason Esmerelda had never worked out, Ethel had always been ignored and pushed to the sidelines, but unfortunately, Ethel continually tried so many times to gain the affection of their parents. Even worse, Ethel had developed an unhealthy idolisation of Ursula and was even beginning to copy her mother's attitude and behaviour.

While there was nothing wrong with a kid idolising their parents, Ursula and Triton were not the types of people to idolise.

They didn't have personalities. They were both cold, and they could be very cruel.

It was hardly the type of idol Ethel should have.

Esmerelda loved her sisters both equally with all of her heart and soul, but what she really wanted the most was for Ethel to wake up and see that nothing she did was going to make any difference.

Anyway, Esmerelda was hoping to find her sister and find out just how the Parent's Evening was going. She knew it was doubtful Ethel would be in her room, but the room was on her route in case Ethel had taken Ursula to her bedroom and telling her how things were going.

But as she approached she heard the sound of things impacting the walls and the door, and she also heard the shouting from Ethel's room. Esmerelda felt her heart sink. She knocked on the door loud enough to get Ethel's attention but also to remind her the teachers could get involved and that was the last thing her sister needed right now.

Esme heard a sound that sounded like a gasp or a snort from the other side. "Go away!"

Esmerelda braced herself and she went inside. She wasn't surprised to find Ethel's bedroom was now a shambles with books and clothes strewn everywhere. "This place needs to be tidy," she commented.

"Oh, don't tell me that, Miss Perfect!" Ethel spat.

Esmerelda narrowed her eyes, she was getting seriously tired and fed up with being her sisters cursing bag. She looked up and saw Ethel glaring at her heatedly. "What do you want?" Ethel snapped.

Esmerelda sighed. "What happened?" she asked.

"What's it to you? You'd probably laugh!"

Esmerelda narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't speak to me like that!" she snapped and flicked her hands to send out a wave of magic to hopefully remind Ethel of where she was and that she needed to get out of her temper tantrum. "I can't help you if you don't stop speaking in riddles!"

The wave slammed into Ethel and sent her staggering backwards but she quickly righted herself.

"What did she do, Ethel?" Esmerelda asked while her sister was still disoriented.

Ethel glared at her, but her eyes were watering as the anger left her and all she was left with was the acute and painful sadness.

"Oh, Merlin! What happened?" Esmerelda rushed over and held her sister in her arms. Ethel buried her face in her chest and cried her heart out. Esmerelda sighed and she sat herself down on the bed, taking Ethel with her.

Ethel sniffled. "Mother…she..," she sobbed.

"She did what, Ethel?" Esmerelda asked patiently, willing to stay here all night if she needed to. "Did she get angry with you because of your fights with Mildred?"

Ethel shook her head, still sobbing. She didn't want to admit what had happened because it hurt so much.

"She….she didn't bother coming."

"What? Ethel, I spoke to her-," Esmerelda looked confused.

"She sent a hologram of herself," Ethel looked into her sister's eyes, the sadness there piercing through the older sister's heart. "She…she couldn't be bothered with me, even when we were in Miss Cackle's office. She was at something of Sybil's, and even when she'd practically admitted it, she wasn't sorry."

Esmerelda closed her eyes, already wishing the stupid woman hadn't bothered to send a projection of herself, but even she was stunned by this new low. But…the coldness of the snub took Esmerelda by surprise since this was new even by their mother's standards. "I'm sorry, Ethel," she whispered. "I know how much you were looking forward to the parents evening."

"It doesn't matter now. You're probably going to defend her-."

"Do you want to know why?" Esmerelda pointedly interrupted her sister. "Its because I want you to try to be positive, but it's clear that was a mistake. Ethel, I wanted you to say to yourself she does care, but at the same time, I wanted you to get on with your own life. There's so much for you to learn, so much to discover, and yet I don't want you to spend your entire life getting hurt."

Esmerelda pulled Ethel closer to her chest and held her, murmuring a soft lullaby her sister had loved as a baby. She felt thanks to years of practice Ethel starting to relax in her embrace, but at the same time, her heart broke when she heard the utter pain in Ethel's voice.

"Why…why does she hate me so much? She hates me so much. I don't know why, and yet she loves you and Sybil!"

Esmerelda closed her eyes and she held onto her sister. She tried to tell Ethel whatever Ursula and Triton Hallow felt for them was not love, but Ethel was sobbing so much it was impossible to say anything.


	2. Chapter 2

A Mother Figure.

Esmerelda was sitting in her bedroom reading a book. It was humid outside, so Esmerelda absently lifted her fingers and summoned a glass of water from the tray on the table which the servants had brought into her room hours ago.

Nothing happened.

When the teenager realised nothing was happening and a glass of cold water wasn't coming she looked up in surprise, glanced at her hand and the water before she looked over at the tray.

"Oh, of course," she grimaced and she walked over and collected the water for herself.

The very notion of a young witch who had been entering the prime of her life and her powers suddenly heading over to the tray to fetch a glass was just unthinkable, and Esmerelda knew both Ethel and Sybil would have baulked themselves at the prospect. But it was a reality she was having to accept for herself since she had lost her powers.

Esmerelda closed her eyes, a tear welling up in her eyes as she remembered the utter betrayal she'd endured at the hands of her own sister. She still didn't understand why her sister had done something so cruel and unthinking. She knew Ethel did things without thinking about the long term consequences, but she didn't think for one moment Ethel would take things to that level.

_And there's no chance I can get my powers back, _Esmerelda thought sadly.

They were a part of Agatha Cackle now. And there was no way Agatha would willingly transfer her powers back to their giver.

_Why in the name of Merlin did I listen to them? Yes, I thought Ethel was in trouble but I never knew she'd betray my trust and my love for her like that, but the worst thing is I thought I was doing it for her, only for her to reveal silently she had known it was Agatha and not Ada I was giving my powers to. _

Esmerelda closed her eyes and shoved those thoughts away and she carried on reading her book. She didn't know why she was bothering if she were honest since without her powers she couldn't attend Cackles anymore. Her parents were furious and embarrassed over the whole mess, although Esmerelda had noted they were more angry about the reasons why instead of anything else. They couldn't work out why she had willingly handed over her magic, and they both refused to accept to listen to the finer details.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead as the memory of the headache she'd endured for three hours as they'd shouted at her endlessly about the disgrace _they'd _suffered and the scorn of their friends come back to haunt her, as well as the anger she felt her parents had seemed to care more for their friends than they did for her or her sisters.

As she sat on her bed, Esmerelda wondered what the future held for her now. She didn't doubt for one moment that her parents would blame her and Ethel and the school for what had happened, but they'd spend a lot of time prancing around and wasting their time instead of looking for a better solution to the problem, and they'd send her to the non-magical world where she would probably spend the rest of her life. Esmerelda knew nothing about the non-magical world, barring one or two stories, but she knew nothing of the culture or the traditions.

And then it struck her that it was probably how Mildred felt about being in Cackles.

Esmerelda frowned a little as the thought of the dark-haired girl crossed her mind. While Esmerelda had been frustrated by the spats between Mildred and Ethel, she also knew that the girl was doing her best even if she had a total lack of knowledge of magical culture and traditions, and didn't yet have a clear idea of what she needed to know. Esmerelda was considering asking Mildred for help and advice about what to do in the non-magical world, although she had a sneaking suspicion she would have to visit it herself and see as much about as she could as an observer and find out for herself and when she saw Mildred again or she contacted her personally, she could speak to the girl and find out a bit more.

The thought of just going into the non-magical world full time….it was horrifying, and yet Esmerelda had no intention of going in blind.

A knock came from the door.

Esmerelda lifted her head, smiling since she knew it was one of her sisters - her parents didn't have many manners and they just transferred into the different rooms without caring about whether or not the occupants of the rooms were in a good mood or not - and judging from the timidity of the knock, she knew who it was.

"Come in," she called, but as the door started to slowly open, it did occur to her it was Ethel.

She smiled wider when she saw it wasn't Ethel, but Sybil. The baby Hallow sister was looking at her hesitantly, her expression making it clear to Esmerelda the girl was torn between being here or if she should just leave.

Esmerelda sighed under her breath. Sybil hadn't had a wonderful time, contrary to what Ethel had probably thought, during the year since she'd had only the servants for company. But now…now she had found out her slightly older sister had betrayed their eldest sister and forced her to give her magic over to an evil witch simply because she wanted attention.

Now Sybil didn't want to go.

The year before, Sybil had been looking forward to the three of them together at Cackles. Now it would just be her and Ethel, and Esmerelda only hoped Ethel didn't play one of those sick schemes with Sybil. Esmerelda didn't know and if she was honest, at this point, she did not care why their parents had this problem with Ethel, and it wasn't as if she'd get a straight answer from them both.

But if Ethel hurt Sybil because she thought doing so would make their parents love her, then Esmerelda would make the girl regret it even without her powers.

She shook her head slightly and smiled widely at her little sister.

"Hey Sybil," Esmerelda said softly. "Are you okay?"

Sybil nodded hesitantly.

Esmerelda sighed. "You're worried about going to Cackles, aren't you?" she whispered, not needing much to figure it out.

"I'm sorry," Sybil said timidly. "I just don't want to lose my magic."

Her sister's fear made Esmerelda angrier than ever. This was the last thing she had wanted for Sybil, who was already terrified about what she could face at Cackles. "You won't, Sybie," Esmerelda tried to reassure her sister although she had to accept the fact she couldn't know for sure, even worse she hadn't expected Ethel to go so far.

Yeah, she might have forgiven Ethel, but she hadn't forgiven her sister for reducing Sybil into this.

"But you've lost your magic!" Sybil said fretfully, wringing her hands.

"I know, but I doubt the same thing will happen to you," Esmerelda tried to be reassuring her sister again, but this time she felt positive. Ethel had quickly realised the depths of her mistake, which had consequences when they'd gotten back to the manor. Ethel had been subjected to a wide amount of verbal abuse from their parents, although whether any of it had actually sunken into Ethel's brain, Esmerelda had no idea. She hoped it had. Ethel needed to grow up and stop thinking she could get away with things like this.

Sybil looked on the point of tears. "Why, why did she do this to you?"

"I don't know," Esmerelda shook her head, not even trying to think of her sister's motivations. "I don't know why she thought me handing over my powers to someone like Agatha Cackle was a good idea, but you know what? I'm not even going to try to figure her out."

Sybil bit her lip. "W-what if she tries to do something to me?" she asked tearfully.

Esmerelda's anger with Ethel rose to epic proportions. She and her sisters were as thick as thieves at home, and yet for some reason, Ethel's whole personality shifted at school. Part of her blamed her parents for not allowing her sisters to really interact with other kids because if they had then Ethel would have probably been much better with other people her own age before heading to Cackles.

If she had then things might have been different.

Then again, she had to accept the fact it might not have been different.

Esmerelda sighed and pulled Sybil into her embrace. "I don't think she will," Esmerelda closed her eyes, thankful her sister couldn't see her expression.

"I wish you were going to be at Cackles," Esmerelda tightened her embrace.

"I wish I was going as well. I've been looking forward to the three of us being together for years, only for Ethel to ruin it for us," Esmerelda whispered as she held onto Sybil.


End file.
